In light of the technical difficulties experienced by many during online Registration this year, we here at Boston University Alternative Spring Breaks and the Community Service Center would like to send an apology to those who were affected by the situation. We would also like to thank our volunteers for their understanding and dedication during these challenges.

First, we are excited about the overwhelming popularity of ASB. The amount of interest in this year’s ASB program was unprecedented. In the month of January, BU students viewed the ASB website a record 26,500 times, blazing past the previous record of 16,453 views of January 2010. Although this clearly foreshadowed heavy web traffic during registration, it was impossible to predict the exact amount of hits we could expect. Unfortunately, our third-party server was not able to handle the demand on the system, and crashed.

Immediately following the site crash, we worked to find a solution with the help of our Registration and Database Manager, as well as our Director and Assistant Director of the Community Service Center, and Dean of Students office. Despite attempts to salvage the registration system, we decided to reschedule ASB Registration to 7PM the same day, to allow us time to fine tune several alternatives, and give volunteers the opportunity to plan accordingly.

Ideally, all plans were designed to maintain fair access to the registration process; however, we realize frustrations arose with our subsequent systems. To those of you who did not get a trip, we ask you to consider joining our waitlist at bu.edu/csc. Additionally, we ask that you realize your situation is not unique; indeed, each year, hundreds of students are unable to participate in the service opportunities we offer due to capacity limitations.

While many have suggested we expand the current program, we would like to stress that Alternative Spring Breaks is a student-run volunteer program. The Program Managers, Committee Leaders, and Coordinators are all undergraduate students, just like yourselves, dedicating their time to create the unique experiences that all of you enjoy so much. Already, the Boston University Community Service Center has one of the largest college Alternative Spring Breaks programs in the nation; however, maintaining an adequate supply of service trips for our volunteers has become increasingly difficult with ASB’s increased popularity.

That being said, we cannot thank our supporters enough. Our advisors, Dean of Students office, and administrative contacts have been instrumental in the development of ASB. Yet, we must thank you, the volunteer, for your exceptional patience and support of this year’s program. We know that this process was frustrating. You have our sympathies, but most importantly, you have our gratitude for not wavering in your desire to volunteer. We are excited by your enthusiasm and dedication, and cannot wait to begin our adventures together.

Sincerely,

Leif Hede-Brierley & Suchie Ravindran
Program Managers
Alternative Spring Breaks
Boston University Community Service Center

We apologize for the inconvenience we may have caused this morning. Trust that your ASB experience is not going to compromised in any way, and once registration is complete the rest of ASB will proceed as planned.

For questions or concerns regarding Registration, please consult our Registration page.

For urgent questions or concerns, contact us directly at 617-353-4710. Note that we may experience a high call volume and be unable to take all calls beyond a certain time. When our system indicates all trip spots have been filled, we will post a link to a Waitlist. Please follow our Facebook and Twitter (@buasb) pages for the most current information.

In the meantime, if you have questions about ASB, Registration, or you’re in the mood to win some cool prizes, come to ASB Trivia and Registration Q&A at BU Central on Saturday, January 28th at 9pm!

We’ll be giving away awesome prizes – including a BU Hockey Jersey, a pair of Bose Headphones, and (drumroll) a First-Choice Trip! That’s right, one lucky winner will be able to select their trip THAT NIGHT!

So, if you want to have a shot at winning a spot in ASB and avoiding the 8AM wakeup for Registration, join us! The event will be followed by a Q&A about ASB and Registration, hosted by the Program Managers.

See you all this weekend!

Information Sessions: Tuesday & Wednesday, January 24th and 25th at 8PM in the GSU Backcourt. Come meet the Coordinators for each trip and ask them any and all questions you may have! Check the Facebook event for more details!

ASB Registration 2012: Attend our Information Sessions and visit our Registration tab for detailed information about Registration, including a simple guide to the process! Here’s the Facebook event for Registration, just in case you want that as well.

As always, email us at altbreak@bu.edu with any questions or concerns. Scholarship Information has been posted under the Registration tab – be sure to check it out if you are interested in applying for a scholarship. See you at the Information Fairs!

Now, what if you still don’t know where you’d like to go for ASB? You’ve already checked out the trip blogs, but what next? You can head over to one of our two ASB Information Sessions next week! The info sessions are on January 24th and 25th, and they will take place in the GSU Backcourt at 8:00PM. At these info sessions you have the opportunity to chat with all 74 of the ASB Coordinators are learn about each trip in person. It will be a great opportunity for you to ask any last-minute questions you might have about anything ASB related!

Even more fun: check out the interactive version of the map and click on each trip location to find out more about each trip!

Our Night of Talent was a huge success! Taking place at BU Central on Tuesday, ASB CO’s and friends took to the stage to give some unforgettable performances. Performers included The Callbacks, Chordially Yours, The Bostones, Step About Boston, and tons of other talented ASB CO’s! The night included door prizes where two attendees won a BU hoodie and a BU hockey jersey. That hoodie may come in handy if you’re heading to a chillier locale for your ASB trip…

Speaking of ASB trips, have you decided where you want to go for ASB yet? The best way to find out more info is by stalking all of our trip blogs at. We’re all so excited to tell you more about our trips and express our excitement! Feel free to email any ASB CO’s if you want more information on a specific trip. After all, the more questions you ask, the more excited we’ll get!

Tomorrow night Alternative Spring Breaks will be hosting “A Night of Talant“, a fundraiser concert, in BU Central at 7:30PM. There will be performances by a number of different BU performance groups, such as The Bostones and Step About Boston, to entertain you all. Even more exciting: a lot of the ASB Coordinators will be unveiling their talents. That’s right, the ASB Cos will be singing, dancing, and even performing magic tricks!

To cap off the evening two lucky attendees will win a BU Hockey Jersey and a BU hoodie! So come on down to BU Central, take a break from studying, and enjoy ASB’s Night of Talent!

Want to know more information about certain trips? Make sure to check out all the trip blogs. And mark your calendar for Tuesday, December 6th because we’ll be having a fundraiser concert in BU Central that features multiple BU performance groups as well as many talented ASB Coordinators! More updates on this will be up shortly!

If you’re interested in meeting some program managers and coordinators in person, come to the CSC’s 25^th Birthday celebration on Friday, November 18^th at 7pm under  GCB 750 Comm. Ave.  Don’t forget to mark December 6^th on your calendars! ASB will be hosting a special event that night, bringing together on-campus groups with our talented coordinators to fundraise for the 2012 trips. Stay tuned for more event
details.

Last but not least! Coordinators and program managers officially voted for this year’s ASB theme on Monday’s meeting. And the winner is (drum roll, please)…..Dinosaurs!
In the coming weeks, we’ll be prehistorically promoting ASB and designing some totally Triassic t-shirts for our volunteers.  Remember, just because it’s extinct doesn’t mean it’s out of style…Here is a t-shirt ideas featuring one of our very own ASB Coordinators: